


Communication Break Dance

by hansu



Category: One Piece
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gangsters, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, Secret Identity, Shanks is a good bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:43:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1865052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hansu/pseuds/hansu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>OLD FIC FROM FF.NET BACK FROM HIATUS. What kind of relationship will be evolved when Mihawk - a powerful businessman and owner of an art museum, and Zoro - a student, start to talk to each other by chance in an instant messaging program?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Connection

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very old fic from FF.net I recently started revising and editing and I decided to continue it. I'm going to start posting the old chapters and see what people think and continue with the new ones.
> 
> This is a very important fic to me somehow despite the fact that I've neglected it for years. I was simply so stuck with it and didn't know what to do, but now I'm moving forward. I'm a bit scared that I'll get stuck again but I won't let that stop me from trying to continue this story idea I love so much!
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading! And let me know what you think!

Communication Break Dance

 

Shanks enjoyed his job. No – rather than that he enjoyed having keys and access codes into to almost every room in the building. He was the head of security in the Mariejois Museum of Art – and currently the redhead was in the process of 'borrowing' his friend's computer in said friend's office. It was time for a lunch break and Shanks had stopped by to see his friend. It was strange to find the office empty. For a while he just circled around in the room which was filled with strange artefacts and paintings, poking and prodding things he any other time would be told not to touch in a stern voice. Then he had noticed the computer – the laptop, which had been left on and unlocked. 

Could this be really happening? Shanks's immense curiosity soon placed him in the chair in front of the laptop. This was really too good to be true. The instant messenger was on. At first his intention was just to change the nickname and user picture into something more 'appropriate', but it had been such a dull morning and he really wanted to do something fun. A mischievous grin lit up his face and the cursor on the screen moved onto a button which would connect him with a random chat partner. 

-

The beep from the instant messaging program startled the green-haired young man who had been reading a comic online. Zoro frowned at the user name visible in the chatbox.. It didn't look familiar. He must have forgotten to block the random chat after he had updated the program. He choked a bit when the first actual message from this stranger called 'Hawky-Chan' came.

'Hey baby! Wanna see my boobs? ;D'

Zoro rolled his eyes and snorted. Random chat alright. What the hell was up with this person? He typed an answer.

'Um... thanks but no thanks.'

'Me so horny me love you long time! <3<3'

For a long while Zoro saw that the little icon which told that other user was typing a message blinking. To his surprise the next message was anything but dirty when it finally appeared;

'Dear Sir/Madam, regretfully my moronic associate has taken over my computer in my absence and made his business to harass people. I apologize for any inconvenience.'

The user's status turned to idle. Zoro stared at the chat window quizzically before his cell phone started ringing, demanding him to answer the call.

-

”What the hell do you think you were doing?” Shanks found himself cornered when his friend Mihawk pointed an ancient sword at him, with a very severe look in his eyes. The man's dark suit and sleeked black hair didn't make his sharp features appear any brighter. 

”Oh come on I was bored... it's not like I was pointing lethal weapons at anyone like some people!” he squeaked with a nervous smile. Mihawk was not amused. The taller dark-haired man in front of him forced the blade to his throat. 

”I get it, I get it! I'm sorry I swear I won't do it again.” The rusty sword was lowered but an angry flare remained in the taller man's eyes. 

”I suppose this is what I get for forgetting my laptop like that...” he grumbled.

”Yeah, it is all your own fault really. Let's go eat I'm starving!”

”I already ate.”

”Then you can buy me lunch.” Mihawk sighed but still went along with the red-head. It wasn't until evening that he had time to sit before his desk again. 

He directed his attention to some urgent paperwork demanding his immadiate attention. It was close to midnight when he had everything sorted out and checked. As usual he was by now the only person in the museum, not counting the guards. He owned the museum and funded a great deal of researchers and projects. The beautiful old building had once been built by his ancestors as their family home. Now Mihawk was the only one left of his family. He had no need for a home which only offered him large empty halls echoing with sad memories – so he decided to transform it. He had always loved art and history - why not create a museum? 

Starting up the collection hadn't been easy, despite all the pieces of art he already had among his inheritance. He became to be known as a ruthless and cunning businessman when he was acquiring new pieces one after another to fill up the empty walls. There were even rumours of blackmail. Mihawk woke the laptop on from it's stand by mode and leaned back in his old wooden chair, thinking how far he had made it. The museum was blooming with magnificent pieces of art and objects of intrigue, he had filled the emptiness, but what would he do with the empty rooms inside himself? He sighed and rocked the chair back and forth. 

He had always been too busy for relationships. His beloved, sometimes infuriating, best friend Shanks had been the only close friend he had for a long time. Shanks and his boyfriend Ben had tried to arrange dates for him but all the attempts had been failures. He had his own ways and he understood that most people wouldn't understand him. He was 41 now... and life was good, he had money, he was doing something he enjoyed, but yes – he was lonely. A sound from the laptop yanked his thoughts back from the depths of his ponderings. He viewed the screen curiously. The chat window from earlier had been left open and he grimaced at the the things Shanks had written before he had caught him. He read the newest received message.

'Hey. Where'd you dump the body?' Wrote username 'Marimo'.

Mihawk wasn't sure why he didn't just close the window and be done with it. It felt somehow exciting to have a complete stranger talk to you.

'Body?' He inquired.

'Your friend. You must have been pretty pissed.'

'Actually I ended up buying him lunch.'

'Poisoned?'

'Sadly no.'

At this point Mihawk realized that he needed to change his nickname back from 'Hawky-chan'.

'Aww you changed your nickname.' 

'No kidding. And Hawky-chan isn't making a comeback unless you pay me.'

'Student. No money.' 

'I see. Shouldn't good little boys and girls be sleeping at this hour?'

'What makes you think I'm good?'

'Oh my, am I safe socializing with a bad boy like you?'

'You sure I'm a guy?'

'Of course not. You could be anyone. Your username and user picture merely give me a basis to form such hypothesis but there is no way for me to really know. I could also discuss the style of your writing to great lengths but that is also something a person can alter to hide their true identity.

'Heh. True. But suppose that I'm not pretending.'

'Then you would be a rarity. And an impossibility.'

'Eh? What do you mean?'

'Every person is unavoidably a 'pretender' to some extent. Most of us change our behaviour according to our surroundings. The manner of speech when you talk to different people, even clothing. It's all part of a big play.'

'So you're pretty philosophical. Or at least you pretend to be.'

'Exactly.'

Zoro quickly sneaked to get a can of soda out of the fridge. He had been thirsty for a while but he just couldn't tear himself away from the computer. He popped the can open and sat back down. Damn, this person was pretty interesting. 'Hawk-Eyes' didn't write like any of his friends. Obviously some care was put into it. It felt a bit weird but it wasn't too disturbing. He couldn't think of anyone else who would use such correct language while talking online – or maybe Robin would write in a similar way? 

He knew from group conversations that Sanji would send all these ridiculous 'cute' emoticons to Nami who also used them, thankfully in a considerably smaller quantity. Luffy would rarely type a whole sentence without a typo. Zoro wanted to talk more with this person. There was mystery hanging in the air – naturally, after all he didn't have any idea who exactly he was talking with. He started to think about what he would say next. The green-haired young man grinned and sent a new message.

'You're safe.'

'Oh?'

'No offence, but I don't do 12-year-old girls. The Hello Kitty avatar is a bit of a give away.'

”Damn you, Shanks!” Mihawk groaned and quickly replaced the offensive pink picture with the familiar Egyptian god Horus. He was never letting the red-headed pest anywhere near his computer again.

'What do you reckon would be the best way to dispose of a roach?' he typed, desire to to strangle Shanks growing strong.

'Kill it with fire.'

'I like your style.'

They continued chatting. To Mihawk it felt liberating to talk to someone without having to keep up appearances or trying to analyse what the other was thinking and figure out their strategy. The mood was... relaxed and friendly. Talking to this person was easy, uncomplicated. Mihawk's eyes were suddenly fixed on the clock. It was already over 2 am.. How did it get so late? Thank god it was Saturday. There would be only one meeting at the evening. But he really needed to go to sleep. He'd stay the night at the office, he was well prepared for such occasions so it wouldn't be a problem.

'I really have to go, it's terribly late.'

'Shit, it is really late. Didn't even notice. Hey can we continue later?'

Mihawk didn't even realize what he was doing before his fingers had already sent his reply.

'Yes, of course.'


	2. Discovery

Mihawk woke up groggily from the sofa-bed in his office. He hadn't actually bothered to transform the furniture into it's bed form, instead he had just thrown the sheet over it and fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He made his way to the battered old coffeemaker and loaded it with coffee and water. When the coffee was done he settled back on the sofa with his computer on his lap. It was 10 am and he enjoyed the calm lazy morning, reading online papers. After some time he started itching for clicking the IM program open. He couldn't resist.

Not too many miles away Zoro had already been wide awake for a while. He had finished his morning exercise and slumped down on his bed fresh from the shower. He grimaced as he managed to knock his hand on his laptop which was partly buried under the covers. He rolled over and opened it. He wondered if anyone would be online at this hour. Actually one person in particular. He was in luck.

'Hey! You're on early.' he wrote to Hawk-Eyes. 'None of my friends are usually on before noon.' 

'Neither am I. Actually I'm almost never logged in unless I have to talk to a certain idiot quickly.'

'Lol, boyfriend/girlfriend?'

'Good Lord no. Thank God no. Not that he didn't try in the beginning but let's not venture there.'

'Heh. Alright.'

' I have to confess that I only logged on to see if you're online. A bit foolish, I know.'

'Then I'm a bit of a fool too. Hoped you'd be on.'

'I didn't scare you off with all the philosophical rambling? I thought that I must have surely bored you to death.'

'No I thought it was really interesting. I don't get to talk about things like that often. Well there were like philosophy classes at school and all but like you could really discuss anything there and our teacher was this horrible old goat.'

'Goats can get degrees these days?'

'Haha! A real goat would have been better than him. How's your morning?'

'Just enjoying the peace and quiet with some coffee. I won't have anything to do until later this afternoon. The only downside is that I slept in a rather awkward position and my neck and shoulder hurt.'

'Ow that sucks. You should try to stretch a bit. I should probably do that too, just got back from a morning run.'

'So you exercise quite a bit? Can't imagine that someone who is not that dedicated would go running early in the morning.'

'Yep. Like that?'

'What ever do you mean?'

'You like athletic types?' 

'Why, you are bold.'

'Aww, come on Hawky.'

'Certainly I would find a well-formed body attractive. I appreciate any man or a woman who takes care of their body. Of course the mind must not be neglected either.'

'Hmm, evasive. Alright then. What about you, do you keep yourself fit?'

'Oh I used to exercise all the time. It helped me to take my mind of certain matters. I could direct my frustration and other unwanted feelings into it.' 

'You were feeling bad? Why did you stop?'

'Come now, you seriously want me to start droning on about my life?'

'I won't ask you to talk about it if you don't want to. Sorry I didn't mean to be rude or anything...'

'Don't be sorry. It's just that you are actually the first person to really have asked about that time in my life. I haven't really given any thought to it before but I haven't talked about it even with my best friend.'

'Sometimes it could be easier to talk to someone who has some distance to the matter...'

'You might be right.' Hawk-Eyes admitted.

'Are you still there? You've been quiet for a while.'

'I'm here. I'm trying to figure out how to express certain things.'

'Take your time.'

'I never lacked anything materially but the relationships in my family were distant.' Hawk-Eyes began. 'I was a lonely child. As a teenager I was anxious and began to feel anger towards my surroundings. I tried to go out to the world and I tried locking myself away from it. I took up fencing at school and I was able to release some of my feelings through it. It was a nice way of focusing oneself. The mind has to be clear of anything else to truly be able to perform expertly. Now I wish that I could have talked to my family instead of struggling with my problems in private. I keep wondering if things would have been any different that way. They're all gone now.'

'You've had though times for sure...'

'Don't worry about it. Of course I think about it sometimes but in general I've had a good life. It's a thing of the past now and there's no point in dwelling on it. My friend helped me see that. That is one of the reasons I haven't murdered him yet, even though the temptation has been great at times.'

'Friends can be a blessing.'

'This one is mostly a curse, but I suppose that you are right. I'm sorry you had to listen to all that. Not many students want to start their Saturdays by listening to someone talking about their 'childhood traumas'.'

'It's ok. I think you're interesting.' 

'Am I good entertainment to you?'

'No! I mean yes, in a way. Argh. What I mean is I don't chat with you just to keep myself from getting bored. I genuinely think you're an interesting person.'

'I'm flattered.'

'And despite all the stuff about not really being able to know who you're talking to online, I feel that on some level we really connect, and I want to learn to know you. Maybe in real life too. I hope I'm not freaking you out or anything when I say that.'

'I could say that you're foolish to say that since you don't know anything about me. You don't even know my sex or age or where I live. (At this point I can reveal to you that I am not a 12-year-old girl as you had previously speculated.) However, I also believe that we do have a certain 'connection', so it would be extremely hypocritical of me to do so. But let me say that it will be a long time until I let you take me out on a date. That's a joke. Just so that you know.'

'Hey you never know'

'Well somebody is flirtatious.'

'Somebody is a tease. But hey, you mentioned fencing.'

'Yes.'

'…...and?'

'That is correct.'

' …'

'I did mention it.'

'Oh come on!'

'Sorry – couldn't resist. Yes, I used to put all of my energy to it. I still do it but I've lacked a sparring partner since my friend was in an accident.' 

'Ah, I hope that he gets better. Are we talking about the fiend from Hell?'

'Yes we are. Well...er... Half of his face got scarred. And he kind of lost his arm.' 

'Oh. OH. Ow.'

'Broke into a locked room, changed someone's IM nickname and user picture and typed pretty expertly for a one-armed guy, didn't he.'

'Yeah, he did.'

'He's an eternal optimist. If I 'accidentally' cut of his other arm it would just be an excuse for him to research more weird sex positions. I pity his boyfriend.'

'Wow... well he'll be just fine when the apocalypse comes. So you two used to spar together?'

'We did, we did. Our 'duels' were not in terms of the art of fencing, but rather actual practical sword fighting. It started partly because we were not friends in the beginning. He might have seen it as friendly rivalry but to me he used to be an enemy. Already then the style we fought with reflected how our relationship would be. It wasn't about points or correct moves. Every strike meant something.' 

'I like the sound of that. It must be nice to have a relationship like that –– even if you're rivals there's a mutual respect and no bullshit. Seems that we have each other a mutual interest. I do sword fighting too. I'm in the school's kendo club. Currently the best of the lot. Were you any good?'

'Now this is interesting! Well, I do not want to brag – but I'm still the crème de la crème of the Mariejois Senior High's fencing club. I have an unbeaten record of winning every tournament I participated in. Think you have a chance?'

'Like I would lose! I'm going to be the best!'

'Oh, he has spirit! I'm sorry, I have to go so I can get from point A to point B on time. The time flies by so fast, thank you once again for the most refreshing conversation! Thanks to you I think I can put up with a group of vegetables.'

'Anytime! Hey, have a good day! I hope we can talk again soon.' 

'You too, and next time I want to hear more about you!'

Zoro was a bit surprised to see that it was 1 pm. He would have to find some food and get himself ready to go. He groaned and rolled to his side on the bed. He had to go on a stupid excursion to the art museum with a class. It was something that he absolutely had to do, and with a decent grade too, to graduate. Why did the visit have to be on Saturday? There were so many things he had much rather done than this. While he was cursing the teacher, the school and the universe for putting him into this situation a paper pinned on the cork board on his wall. 

Something at the back of his mind kept nagging that there was something that he should remember about it. But there wasn't anything special about it, it was just a schedule for the graduation ceremony which was only few weeks away. Only thing he really needed to remember was the time and place. Then he suddenly realized it. How come his brains hadn't processed this information when they were talking? 'The ceremony starts at 12 am at the hall of Mariejois Senior High'. Hawk-Eyes had gone to the same school as him!?


	3. Interesting offers I

Zoro took the train to the art museum. He almost missed his stop and had to squeeze himself through the closing door because his mind wasn't in the reality. He still couldn't believe it. Hawk-Eyes – the online friend he had met completely by chance – had studied in Mariejois Senior High – the very same school he was soon going to be graduating from. Provided that he would pass the course which had brought him to the museum today. He joined the other students waiting on the building. Their teacher was already there too, explaining the classical architecture to the youths who couldn't care less – save for some overly eager point fishers. After waiting for some minutes for the late students the group moved inside. 

At the lobby the teacher kept talking and proudly announced about that he had specifically organized this excursion to get them a very influential person to talk about the museum to them. Zoro tuned the man's annoying nasal voice out and let his mind drift back to Hawk-Eyes. At first it hadn't really mattered to him what the other person was like in person. But now that he knew that at least at some point they had lived in the same city his mind wouldn't let it go. It felt surreal to think that if the other still lived in Mariejois they could have passed each other by on the streets every day and not know anything about it. 

Zoro walked with the group into a presentation room flooded with light. Seemed like their guide had joined them too. Zoro hurried into a secluded corner where he could doze off with his thoughts. Fencing club, huh? Then... his friend couldn't be that much older than him – that club was founded something like ten years ago, give or take. He felt somehow guilty for getting excited about the mystery – the more he thought about it the more he itched to dig deeper into it. But it wasn't as if he was doing it to entertain himself, he was just curious. He wondered if Hawk-Eyes had intentionally dropped the school's name...probably not. 

"Roronoa! You should pay attention instead of slacking!" a hushed voice scolded him. Zoro looked at the disruption, annoyed. It was that girl who was always trying to make her opinions matter, but whose name he still couldn't remember. He was quite surprised himself, he'd known about this person's existence for years and he wasn't sure if he had even heard her name. She was one of those people who had straight sharp noses – perfect for sticking up while looking down at people – and who were always lecturing others about something. 

"Just mind your own business." The girl's nose twitched angrily before she turned back. She was sitting in front of him... how come she had time to look around finding something to complain in other people if it was so important to focus now? He looked at the front of the room. The masses of orange light from the evening sun invading straight in prevented him from seeing clearly, but the voice flowed through the room well. The teacher had stopped talking and the voice filling the room was steady and rich. He could see the silhouette of the man in the front. He was talking about the museum's events and collections. Zoro yawned. Not particularly interesting. But he could get used to listening to this voice. 

When the presentation was over their teacher started instructing them.

"As you all remember you must pick a piece of art from the museum's current exhibitions and write an essay on it. Now you may independently search for a subject. Don't run off – I will call your names at the end of our visit!" Zoro sent a glare in his direction for ruining his day and moved out with the rest of the students who started to scatter around the halls, most in small groups. Zoro banded together with a couple of guys he knew from the kendo club. 

"Wasn't he just so eloquent!" the boys all looked at the giggling group of girls near them. Of course it was what's-her-name speaking, in a voice that made unnecessarily clear to other people what she were saying. "Oh why can't all men be like that? I hate the childish brain dead boys at our school." Zoro and the other two realized very well who exactly the last words were directed at.

"Hey are you trying to pick a fight?" asked the rougher one of his companions.

"Don't, she's just a girl." the other held him back.

"Doesn't matter if she's a girl or not I won't take bullshit from anyone..."

"You see what I mean girls?" she said and the group burst into giggles again. 

"Everyone, there he is!" squeaked one of the girls and in a second all of them concentrated their energy on trying to hide their staring. The guys looked at them in confusion. Soon a man appeared in their view. He walked tall, smoothly like a panther. He had a presence that drew respect from people. Dressed in all black except for the wine-red tie – Zoro could see why the girls were infatuated. Oh, there was someone beside him, he had hardly noticed. In fact he only realized it when the all too familiar voice of their teacher grated his ears, making him break his stare. Had he been staring?

"Who is he, what's so great about him?" he asked. All the girls turned to glare at him with a disbelieving look. The guys laughed.

"Oh man, Roronoa were you sleeping again? That's the guy who talked to us earlier. He owns this place or something." 

"His name is Dracule Mihawk." said one of the girls. "Elegant, cultured and rich... he's like an emperor. I want my husband to be like that." All the females nodded and sighed in chorus, completely in their own world. One of them continued absentmindedly "But wouldn't it be kinda nice to have a boyfriend with Roronoa's body and his grace?" the words evoked another set of sighs and nods in the girls, and made the boys almost choke while trying not to burst to laughter. 

"Hear that, Roronoa?" one of his companions nudged him and snickered.

"I had hoped that you boys would be able to behave yourself, like the girls here. We came here to be inspired by the magnificent works of art here, not to fool around." Smug smiles appeared on the girls' faces when the teacher stopped and scolded them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Dracule," what's-her-name said with all her charm "could you say a few words about these lovely ancient cave paintings to us?" The teacher looked at her approvingly and smiled. Boy was she getting extra points. The black-haired man faked a pleasant smile, something strange shining through the polite surface, and briefly explained the themes of the pictures and some archaeological details of the photographs. 

"I find it very touching that these pictures have lasted thousands of years. What is their meaning? What do our ancestors want to say to us through them, what were they thinking when they made these images?" the girl said dramatically.

"Noble ponderings indeed. " the man said with his dark voice. "Shall we take this painting as our example? It has been dated to 25,0000 years ago and has been one of the most researched cave paintings because of it's particularly interesting details. As you can see in this image the stick figure on the left has gained a stick. He now feels that he has the upper hand in comparison to this other stick figure. I apologise, but I really must go back to my duties now. I hope you all have an inspiring day here." The look on the teacher's face was worth seeing. The unaffected man smiled and left. 

Zoro snorted. The group stood still in silent confusion. The teacher looked like something inside his head had exploded. Poor guy. Zoro laughed to himself and started to follow the other boys down the hall – until something more interesting caught his eyes in the opposite direction. The exhibition hall was almost completely void of people, despite the beautiful renaissance paintings. Zoro didn't pay attention to the pictures on the walls. He was looking at a sword in a glass cabinet with a keen eye. It was beautiful. He remembered seeing it somewhere before. 

"It's the Sword of Thousand Truths." Zoro looked up and to his surprise saw Dracule Mihawk. "Doesn't it please your eye?"

"It's not that. It's beautiful...but..." 

"But?"

"It doesn't feel right. Sorry, it must sound really stupid. This is a named blade, right? I would like to consider myself a swordsman... and there should be a certain aura in a sword like that. People tell me I'm weird when I say things like that but I feel the 'personalities' of the swords when I'm holding them and this sword should give off some sort of aura even without holding it, like Wadou Ichimonji – but there's just stillness." the green-haired man felt a little embarrassed when he watched the other man smirk. Why had he said something like that?

"You are a swordsman, Roronoa Zoro. What you just said confirms it. The named blades do have 'personalities', a man with the spirit of a swordsman can tell that." 

"How do you know my name?" 

"I go see some of the larger sword fighting events every now and then. You've been victorious quite a few times." Zoro grinned.

"Haven't been defeated once in a tournament. But what about the sword?"

"It's a replica. The original is also in my possession but I'm uneasy about displaying the swords. When I was told that there was to be an exhibition of art inspired by the sword and they wanted to include the sword itself I had to decline the request. There would normally be a mention of this being a replica but we agreed to leave it out as not to break the spell of seeing 'the real deal' but a person like you or a highly skilled sword smith can tell that it's a fake. You've held a named blade before?"

"I have the katana Wadou Ichimonji."

"Really? That's one of the rare swords which aren't owned by museums or collectors these days."

"You seem to know an awful lot about swords...?"

"Well, this exhibition piqued my interest in the named blades so I've done some research recently. There was no documentation about the Wadou Ichimonji, only the name of the sword, time of the commission and name of the client. Would you be willing to bring it to be photographed?"

"Um..." Zoro couldn't tell why but something smelled a bit fishy. "You'd have to wait for a while. I still have some final exams left and this stupid assignment too, and I'm trying to look for a job at the same time. Things are really busy for me right now."

"What kind of job are you looking for?"

"Anything where I get paid really." Zoro scratched his head and frowned. He had been worried about the situation for a while. Since he was living with Sanji and the blond had a job for the summer they weren't in too much trouble if he didn't find anything – but he'd still have to borrow money from Nami and the mere thought scared him.

"Talk to Benn Beckman at human resources before you leave. He's in charge of the maintenance staff and security." 

"Is it OK? I mean, don't I have to have any experience or something?"

"I'll let him know about you. There shouldn't be any problems, unless you have a criminal record. You're in good shape and you know how to fight if necessary."

"Wow... Thanks, I'll go and see him. Thank you very much." Zoro said sincerely.

"You're quite welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you, Roronoa Zoro. Here's my card, let me know if you have time for the sword after all."

"I will." Zoro said. He watched the man walk away and frowned. There was something strange about the things the other man had said, he couldn't help the suspicious feeling.


	4. Chapter 4

Thinking about the conversation with Dracule, the strange feeling about it lingering, and the little revelation about his online acquaintance Hawk-Eyes kept Zoro busy until the students were dismissed. Should he ask Hawk-Eyes about the fencing club? He couldn't decide. But he hoped that they could talk again soon. Well, he could head home after talking to this Beckman guy, he thought as he knocked on the door of the room S101 where he had been told to go at the Info. Soon the door opened. 

“Oh hey, Roronoa Zoro, right? Benn Beckman. Make yourself comfortable.” Was someone in charge of guard personnel supposed to look like a thug? Beckman had a big scar on his temple and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The space was a break room by the looks of it. Zoro sat down on a comfy chair and raised an eyebrow when the other man started to go through a huge box of keys. Seemed that he had been doing that for a while.

 

“Oi Benn, are you still there?” a muffled voice came from the closet.

 

“Yeah, yeah. It was just the new job candidate.” 

 

“Did he have a nice ass?” Zoro shot a stunned look at the closet.

 

“He can hear you, Shanks.”

 

“Oh, sorry. Do you have a nice ass?” the closet asked politely.

 

“Ignore him.” Benn said. “He got stuck in the closet, I'm trying to find a spare key.”

 

“Introduce us! And tell him that I'm good-looking.” the closet said excitedly. 

 

“That's Shanks. He's the Head of Security. And he is quite charming when he's not talking too much.”

 

“Tell him that we're ok with threesomes.”

 

“Shanks...” 

 

“What?”

 

“I'll bake you cookies wearing nothing but an apron if you'll count to hundred not making a sound. Time starts now.”

Zoro just couldn't hold back his laughter. If he was really going to work with these people he'd come to work gladly every time.

“Do you need help with those keys?”

“That would be just grand. Could you go through this small box for me? Look for tags that say S101. Let's do this quickly now that he's quiet. Age, hobbies, previous work experience, any medical conditions?” 

“19, sports, love good food and having a good time with my friends. Worked part-time as a shop assistant a couple of times, not much else worth mentioning, and I'm perfectly healthy. No keys in this box.” 

“You'll do just fine then. Welcome aboard. Sign these papers will ya.”

When Zoro had left Shanks had still been stuck in the closet. He couldn't decide which one of the men he should feel sorry for. He was so happy that he would be working with people like them. He had a feeling that he wouldn't have to worry about being bored. The young man fished his keys from the bottom of his pocket as he strode up the stairway to his and Sanji's place. He entered and as soon as the door was open a delicious smell greeted him. Perfect! Sanji had cooked something before going to see Nami and Robin. 

Sure enough he found some delicious chicken from the fridge. He wolfed his portion of the dinner down and and went to his room for a nap. As he lied on the bed the sight of Wadou Ichimonji on its stand reminded him of Dracule Mihawk's request and he couldn't sleep. What exactly was it that had been weird about the conversation? Then he realized what didn't match up. He had said that he didn't like displaying the swords. 

Swords; plural. Meaning that there were more than one. And the man had said that he had been interested in the named blades only because of the new exhibition, still he knew so much about them. He also followed the sword fighting scene closely enough to know him by name – that wasn't so amazing, he had been featured in many news articles about the tournaments recently, but still. He rubbed his temple with his hand. Where was all this going?

-

Mihawk sat down on a plush sofa – in his apartment for once – with a cup of tea, and let out a relieved sigh. No more students to handle or security personnel stuck in closets today. Not that the day had been bad at all, actually quite rewarding – he hadn't expected to meet the rising star Roronoa Zoro. It was strange seeing the young champion out of the arena, but he would recognize the man anywhere. The patterns of his body were etched in his memory. This Roronoa was different from the tiger in full battle-mode that appeared in the arenas, but the beast was still present, ready to leap into action – contrary to what the occasionally slouched posture and hands stuffed in pockets indicated. Mihawk had seen with his own eyes how dangerous he was and was quite impressed with him. 

Mihawk had been following his progress for a while now. He was somehow drawn to him. When he looked at the young man when he entered the battle field he could already tell whether he would win or lose. Roronoa was prominent because he had spirit, no matter who he would face he would not budge – he wouldn't run away from a fight even if he was the underdog. He commanded the field and his sword beautifully. 

Would Roronoa contact him about his katana? Mihawk had wanted to make some opportunity to meet him again. He didn't fully understand what feelings drove him forward on this matter but he was going to take Shanks's advice for once and follow his intuition. His musings were interrupted by the ringtone of his phone. After a bit of searching for it he finally found the device and answered. 

“Yo. It's Roronoa Zoro.” Mihawk was surprised at first, but then smiled at the laid back attitude.

“Roronoa, What can I do for you?”

“Let's start by setting a couple of things straight.” Mihawk frowned, confused by his hard tone. “I lied about not having time earlier. I'm not really all that busy. But you were lying too. I realized that just now.”

“Was I now?”

“You talked about disliking putting swords on display, swords – not just one, even though you said that you weren't interested in them. That and the fact that you could recognize me and the way you talked about the swords pretty much speak for themselves.” Mihawk was silent for a moment, then let out a laugh. 

 

“Good lord – I'm out of touch! Very well, you have exposed me."

“Come on, what's the real deal here?”

“Would you dare to come to the museum tomorrow to find out? No dress code – but bring a sword.” Why had he said that? Would the younger man agree?

“...When?”

“Nine o'clock?” 

“Wow. Clearly I was wrong when I thought that this couldn't get any more suspicious. Shady meeting in a dark empty museum. At night.”

“You'll love the cellar.”

“...I'm sure I will.”

“Was that everything?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“You suppose?”

“Well...yeah? Do you have anything on your mind?” Zoro stammered a bit awkwardly.

 

“Aside from the priceless image of my Head of Security stuck in a closet for hours, nothing much.”

“Oh, Shanks, right? He got out? That's great. Talented Head of Security you have there.”

“Quite. The museum has never been safer than during those three hours.” Mihawk wondered why the conversation was so easy. There was also a familiar feel to it. Zoro laughed at the other end, thinking the same.

“Right. I'll see you tomorrow then.” Having ended the call, the young man wandered into the small living room. He flopped onto the sofa and was about to start looking if there was anything interesting on the television, when he heard the door open.

“Did the girls throw you out already?” he raised his voice so his roommate would hear him. 

“Huh? No, I went to stock up on some rarer ingredients for next weekend.” Sanji said, walking into the kitchen and starting to go through cupboards to make notes on what to get from the shops. 

“Oh, I thought you had gone to see Nami and Robin or something.”

“Nah, I just thought it would be easier if I'd find the harder to get stuff in advance. It would be a mess if we left it till the last minute and they'd be out of stock.”

“I guess you're right... Oh, shit! I totally forgot about the get-together! I'm not sure if I can make it now...” Sanji came out of the kitchen, with a frown on his face.

“Can't make it? What the hell, after stocking up all that booze?” he teased. “Are you sick or something?”

“No, nothing like that. I got a job.”

“Really? That's awesome! We don't have to worry about the money at all for a while. What are you going to be doing?”

“I'll be working as a night guard in the Art Museum. They need young people who can stay awake through the night.” Zoro grinned. “It's just Fridays and Saturdays for now because I still have school but night shift pays well. And it seems like I have a steady job there if I want it if I don't screw up.”

“That's great! But are you saying that you can't be there with the rest of us on Saturday?”

“I could stay for about an hour or so before I'd have to go, and I can't drink anything either can I...” The green-haired man grimaced. He had really been looking forward to their get-together. It had been a while since he had seen the whole gang.

“Let's ask the others if we can meet up earlier, let's set up a group conversation online with whoever is signed in. It would be too lame if you'll miss it, and we have to celebrate your new job too!” Sanji said. They both fetched their laptops and settled down in the living room, Sanji on the sofa and Zoro beside him on the floor. Zoro put his computer on the coffee table and logged into the IM program. They set up a group conversation as they saw that everyone was online, except Usopp and Chopper who were with Luffy. Noone had any objections to starting earlier and everyone was excited about Zoro's news. 

After a long set of congratulations he got up to get something to eat while watching TV and chatting. While Zoro was in the kitchen Sanji reached for the remote on the table, next to the other man's laptop. He couldn't help but notice that a new chat window popped up on the screen. He didn't know that username. Didn't Zoro always keep saying how much he hated chatting versus talking face to face, or over a phone. He did admit that it was handy for setting up meetings with his friends but he felt much more comfortable when he could see or hear the person he was talking to.

Zoro emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich. He raised an eyebrow seeing Sanji typing something on his computer in an uncomfortable looking position 

“Your online girlfriend misses you.” Sanji explained. Zoro kicked the younger man and snatched his laptop back. 

“Don't mess with my computer dartboard-brow! And it's not an online girlfriend!.” 

“Oh, alright then.” The blond said and types a message into the their group chat. 'Zoro has an online boyfriend!' Zoro almost choked on his sandwich when he read the message.

“No I don't!” he barked at the snickering blond and punched him in the ribs. He then hurriedly typed a message denying the existence of any online boyfriends or girlfriends and retreated back to his own room, away from Sanji's prying eyes.


	5. With friends like these

Zoro reached the safety and privacy of his own room and hurridly nudged the door shut. Damn Sanji... who gave him premission to touch his computer, let alone stick his nose into his messages? He took a deep breath and focused on his laptop's screen.

'Sorry! Roommate attack! It's over now.' he typed with haste.

'Hawk-Eyes', or Mihawk, chuckled in front of his own computer, and told his chat partner that it was alright. The roommate hadn't had time to type anything else besides 'This is Shitty Marimo's answering machine. He's getting something to eat. I'm sure he misses you too and he'll be back soon and you can be all lovey-dovey!' It was quite amusing, but it was understandable that the other one didn't feel the same way. As they chatted Mihawk found himself preparing for the night, in his office – for the fourth time that week.

'I think I need to go to sleep soon,' Mihawk typed 'I promised to meet up with my friend tomorrow morning. I'm not sure why, I know he's scheming something evil.'

That assumption came from the fact that Shanks had suddenly turned up in his office - very polite and unintrusive - and asked him with an innocent smile. It made a chill run through him.

'I hope you come out of it alive.' came the response 'I need to wake up pretty early too, promised to help my stupid roomie to shop food for the gang. We're having a get-together. He'll kick my ass if I don't wake up in time.'

'You don't fight at home I hope?'

'Well. Hmm. We critique each other constructively. Physically.'

'You have an all-out war going on in there, don't you?'

'Pretty much. But the other day we did the dishes together and he didn't kick me.'

'And that's an accomplishment of great measure?'

'Yeah.'

They soon bid each other good night, both feeling confused at how reluctantly they logged out. Mihawk laid awake thinking for a long time, stretched out on his office couch and staring at the ceiling and the changing shadows and reflections. This was becoming... dangerous. He couldn't just let a complete stranger from the internet close, could he?

People in flesh and blood were treacherous enough, and here he was, having opened his heart - even telling about his past! - to someone he had never met despite knowing better! He squirmed and threw his hand over his face in frustration. Talking to this person was so... so... easy. It felt right. He couldn't explain it more. But no matter how good he felt he knew that things were not always what they appeared to be. He... couldn't get dependent on a stranger, on someone else.

His conflicting thoughts and feelings made his night restless, and when he met up with Shanks the red-head found him groggy and cross.

“Man did you go to a party without me?”

“I'm not hungover.”

“Suuuuure.”

“I just couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about things.”

“What things? Something coming up in the museum?”

“Just....things.” The older man sighed softly. “Remind me why I'm here again?”

Shanks gave him an odd look but then grinned. “To spend time with your bestest best friend!”

“Oh joy.” Mihawk mumbled. Despite himself the corners of his mouth tugged upward when Shanks showed his intact arm into his side.

“Jerk. It's been ages since we did something, just the two of us. You're doing the thing again.”

“What thing?”

“The thing when you pile up all sorts of work shit and ignore me – your charming, handsome and amazing friend. And everyone else too actually.”

“Doesn't feel right imposing on you and Benn, you have a whole bunch of things going on...”

“Look we have friends coming and going in and out of the house all the time, that doesn't mean you're any less important. We're always gonna be mates, right? Or have you forgotten, even after all we went through, you asshole?”

How could he? It was years ago but the stump of Shanks's arm was an obvious reminder.

“Come on!” The grinning fiend tugged his sleeve. “Let's go have a blast!”

They passed by an ethnic food shop where another pair of friends were having an outing. Zoro grumbled and shifted, his hands already full of groceries when Sanji dumped one more bag into his arms.

“Stop whining I'm the one who'se gonna cook everything it's only fair that you carry it moss-head.”

“Fine, fine...And I wasn't whining!”

“Good! I was worried that our brave strong swordsman might be out of shape or something!” Zoro glared at the smirking blond, but said nothing.

“Well that should be everything...” Sanji mused as they stepped outside, lazily making their way back. It was a bit chilly but the weather was nice enough, the air was fresh and pleasant to breathe.

“Who were you chatting with?” Sanji asked, out of the blue, almost making Zoro stumble. “Someone from school?”

“...Kinda.” It wasn't exactly a lie. He assumed Hawk-Eyes was a former student, talking about the fencing club in past tense. It still astonished him – they had gone to the same school as him. The fencing club wasn't formed until recently so they might have passed by each other in the hallways in previous years. He might have seen his or her face. Every day he might have passed by this person who was so real, despite being just a phantom on a laptop screen. These thoughts had been making him restless since he learned about it. At first he had thought it wouldn't matter, it was just a nice little change of talking to someone new on the internet, they'd do it until they got bored of it and then they would move on. But now... when he thought about letting that person on the other end of the connection go... it felt so wrong.

“'Kinda'? What the hell does that mean?”

“He graduated already.” Zoro didn't know why he chose the male pronoun. Maybe just to pre-emptively shut Sanji up about the online girlfriend thing...

“Ah, from your club or something?”

“Yeah...” Zoro nodded.

“Is there something going on? You seem kinda off somehow. Hey I'm sorry about yesterday did I mess something up?”

“Nah it's fine I just... there's this stupid essay I have to write...” Zoro said, trying to nudge the conversation to another direction.

“Ohoho, Marimo is scared of big words is he?” Sanji taunted playfully, earning a half-hearted glare.

“You wanna get punched?”

“What's it about? Don't worry man just scribble something down and be done with it.”

“It's for the art course...” Zoro cringed. That damn teacher... he didn't seem to like Zoro much, or any of the 'athelete types' for that matter. “If I don't do at least moderately well I'm gonna fail and I can kiss goodbye any thoughts of graduating this year. Not that I have any idea what to do with my life after that...”

Sanji listened silently, while they walked towards their apartment, lighting a cigarette.

“Just take baby-steps, one task at a time. Focus on getting that essay shit done first. I'm sure Robin can help you out she's ace with that kind of stuff.” he patted his green-haired friend on the back. “We'll take care of our shitty marimo!” he grinned and laughed when Zoro tried to kick his shin, wobbling slightly with the weight of the groceries.

How lucky he was, with friends like these. He wasn't even sure how their band of misfits had come together but it didn't matter, they stuck together and looked out for eachother. They laughed and cried together and shared hopes and dreams. It was the best thing he had in his life, besides the feeling he got when he was fired up and ready to go with a sword in his hands. The young man frowned. Why was he suddenly feeling so incomplete...

Dammit, Hawk-Eyes...

Back towards where they came from Mihawk and Shanks sat in a cozy old cafe. The dark haired man had to be in awe of Shanks for having a seemingly bottomless stomach.

“I don't understand how you can eat all that...” he nearly gagged at the amount of sweet things Shanks had already eaten in such a short time. He was perfectly happy with his dark chocolate muffin. “Where does all that go?” He wondered aloud. Shanks merely grinned and took another bite. “I need to eat a lot so I have the energy to be as awesome as I am!”

“Even half as 'awesome' as you are is more than enough. I don't understand how you stay fit.”

“With Benn.” Shanks finished and took a sip from his coffee. “Sex – great way to burn calories!” he beamed.

“I don't know why I was expecting something sensible.” Mihawk replied with an unmoved expression while Shanks laughed. The red-head leaned on his good arm and sighed.

“Hey are we becoming old or something? Seriously, twenty years ago would you have ever thought we'd be sitting somewhere casually sipping coffee?” Mihawk's lips tugged upwards slightly, which Shanks recognized as his silent laugh from the look in his eyes. He prided himself in knowing Mihawk's language. “We used to just go out and wander through the night, running under bridges and in abandoned warehouses, picking fights. It was... it was life. It was all there was to life for us wasn't it? Friendship, rebelling and fighting.”

“We weren't friends.” Mihawk reminded.

“Yeah I guess not but eventually you saw the light.” Shanks smirked at the dark-haired man.

Mihawk grinned despite his restless thoughts. His mind was only half-present in the conversation, and he felt a bit guilty about it. It really had been a long time since he and Shanks had just spent some time together. But he couldn't stop thinking about that chat partner of his... 'Marimo'... such a ridiculous alias... coming uninvited into his life and messing up his head. How did it happen... He admonished himself, letting himself get affected by such a thing.

“Hey, Hawky, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Shanks said suddenly, with that annoying innocent smile of his. Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly at him. “I just want you to remember that I'm gonna be there for you if you need me.” the red-head grinned. It was obvious to him something strange was going on with his friend, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere by pushing. Mihawk would have to come to him on his own when he was ready to talk about whatever was bothering him.

Mihawk nodded curtly at Shanks's reminder. The red-head could be surprisingly perceptive and subtle when he really wanted to be, he admired. They quickly moved on to talk about other things, but nothing managed to make him entirely forget about his online acquintance. This...was not good at all, he thought grimly. It couldn't continue, he decided. He had to end it.


	6. Chapter 6

The evening's hours crawled by slowly. Normally Mihawk would have spent them engrossed in a project or working. Tonight he could not keep his focus on anything. Even Yoru seemed done with him, he glared at the sword that was innocently leaning against his office's wall. And why was he in his office again? He frowned, dismayed. He sighed and stared at his laptop. The device that was indirectly responsible for his frustration.

He could have just blocked 'Marimo' from his contact list and be done with it. But it seemed somehow wrong. He'd just wait until they were on and tell them he didn't have time for chatting anymore. Yes, that would work, he attempted to convince himself. He wandered to Yoru, stroking the blade, shivering as he was met with dissonant vibrations. Was this affecting him so much he had lost his harmony with himself and his sword? He shook his head.

Sighing he slumped in front of his laptop, seeing his chatpartner log in. Alright now, nice and easy, just a couple of words. He'd make it short. It would be over in a few seconds. He'd go back to his busy life, all the things he had... his work and his... his... what did he have? He felt cold.

'Hey. I missed you. Well, talking to you. You know what I mean.' the words appearing on his screen seared him and he slammed the laptop shut.

"Dammit..." he hissed, gritting his teeth. "Dammit, dammit, dammit..." he leaned back, burying his face into his hands. After sitting like that for a while, trying to clear his head of distracting thoughts, he took a look at the clock. 8 pm. He should head downstairs. Today Roronoa Zoro, the interesting young man that had caught his eye in the swordfighting circles would be bringing his blade to him to be documented.

Zoro stood in front of the Mariejois Museum and frowned at it's looming form, feeling uncharacteristically apprehensive. It's was almost 9 pm and the place was looking dark and deserted, like some kind of haunted house with it's old-timey architecture. This was the part where while watching a horror movie he would scream at the characters not to walk right into their fucking obvious demise.

"Come on man, pull yourself together." he grumbled at himself, rolling his eyes. He was just going to meet a guy, stand there while Wadou was being photographed or something and be done with it. It was just that the guy happened to be his intimidating new boss,who kinda had this ominous serial killer vibe to him. Damn the man was fine piece of work, but those petrifying eyes had something spine-chilling in them...

He shuffled towards the main entrance, he was unsure of where exactly they were supposed to meet up but he assumed walking through the front door would do the trick. There would probably be guards – his future co-workers – he could bother. He walked into the lobby where a few staff members seemed to be loitering around, changing a few words with eachother before leaving or starting their shifts. One guard stood further from the group, next to the doors, looking like he was waiting for something. He perked up when he spotted the student coming through the entrance.

"Roronoa Zoro?"

"Ye."

"I was told to show you the way, follow me please."

The young man nodded, tailing after the guard. A red-haired man talking with the group caught his eye. He looked fairly normal, maybe about thirty? The scars covering one side of his face were what awoke Zoro's curiosity. He averted his eyes after a brief glimpse – he didn't want to stare.

They began descending a set of stairs.

"I guess he wasn't joking about the cellar..." he mumbled.

"Hm? This is where some of the storage vaults and conservation lab are. Don't worry, it's anything but dark and damp." the guard grinned at him. And just as he had said it was just as polished and professional looking as the rest of the museum.

He was guided into a well-lit spacious room with rows of locked closets along the walls and photo studio equipment. Dracule Mihawk was fiddling with the equipment,sharp-dressed as ever in his dark ensemble, jacket tossed over the back of a chair. He did nothing to acknowledge the younger man first, and Zoro even began to wonder if he had somehow missed him entering, but then the man's golden eyes shot a slanted glance at him.

"So. You came, then."

"You told me to." Zoro shrugged, peeved by the man's attitude.

"I most certainly did not. I requested." The man said nonchalantly, with his back towards the other.

"Whatever, you asked, I came." Zoro said snappishly, clenching his fists in his pockets. The hell was this guy's deal? He was his boss now though,the rational part of his brain reminded him – better behave.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Provide me with the Wadou Ichimonji, if you would be so kind," he turned around, slowly walking up to Zoro with his hands behind his back. "and... just try to stay out of the way." he smiled, extending one of his arms expectantly. Zoro felt a slight tingle go through his body and narrowed his eyes, but nevertheless pulled the katana out of his bag, offering it to Dracule, who promptly took it and gently positioned it according to his purposes.

At least he was treating 'his lady' with respect, Zoro mused grudgingly. For a long while he just milled about the room, watching Dracule snap shots of the katana in different angles and lightning, with and without a grid. Somehow his features softened when he was handling the blade, he looked almost mellow.

"So..." Zoro began, thinking about their conversation on the phone. "what's this sword business all about?"

"I shall illuminate shortly." stated the earnestly focused man.

Zoroplopped himself down in a chair with a resigned huff. He had almost dozed off , when Dracule was suddenly looming over him.

"Done." he announced matter-of-factly, turning and striding towards the door. "Come along now." he prompted, smirking as Zoro scampered after him with his newly returned katana in his hands.

Dracule lead them through a security checkpoint and into a hallway which lead to what seemed to be a vault. "They must keep their most valuable items here..." Zoro thought as the older man punched in a code and released to doors. Stepping inside, Zoro found himself in awe. The vast space resembled somekind of bastard child of a trophy room and a study. The look and feel of it was older than what he had seen of the premises. This space... it didn't feel like it was used by many people. His attention was soon stolen by the items on display, no doubt protected by some security system also.

Swords. Named blades, undoubtedly.

"...How?"

"Money. Hours and hours of vexing negotiations. And one must not forget miss Tashigi's determination to see that these treasures are preserved and treated with respect. Most of them are part of the museum's collection but some I privately own."

Somehow Zoro suspected there was something else to it too. He shook the feeling off and admired the stunning blades.

A large empty weapon rack attracted his attention. It was placed kind of in an honorary spot, but there was no sign of it's contents. 'Kokutou Yoru'...? read the label.

"Aah, yes – the 'lady of the night' is absent. She is receiving some well deserved attention in the hands of conservationists." Dracule's piercing golden eyes softened, but only for a moment.

The older man looked almost approachable then. Weight on the word almost. Sure he was charming and eloquent in front of people, and whatever else the girls from his school had said earlier but there was something off-putting in his stare. Judging by all the vibes Zoro had gotten this wasn't a guy who liked people, but liked to use them when it suited him. The younger man suspected that there was something else besides this cozy photographing session he wanted from him. He didn't think he had bothered to offer him a job just out of pure kindness of heart and love of people. There was something else going on and he didn't have a good feeling about it.

"How did you get it.?" The older man inquired suddenly, shaking Zoro out of his thoughts.

"Eh? Wadou?"

The taller man nodded.

"I'd like to document the sword's history as thoroughly as possible. Is it a family heirloom? If you have any information on the previous owners I'd apprecia-"

"C-could we do that some other time?" the youth stammered. Suddenly a door inside him was open, to a room of memories that he was not prepared to enter so suddenly.

"...Certainly." The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's... getting late and all that."

"Wouldn't want mom and dad to worry, would we?"

"I don't have parents." Zoro blurted with a deadpan face. He braced himself for some pitying look or awkward apology. He must have thought Zoro was weird somehow, people usually did when he wasn't the teary-eyed stereotype on that particular detail of his past.. However Dracule only looked him calmly in the eyes, and simply said;

"I see. You have my understanding."

Well that was a first. Puzzling. It felt nice though. He had quickly grown tired of people's pity. How could he miss something he had never had? People he had never known? Why waste time on that? He wasn't broken but people rarely understood that. But Dracule... his wording puzzled him... he understood? From his own experience?

They bid eachother good night politely in the hallway, Zoro telling the tall imposing man that he'd show himself out. The guy was seriously getting to him... What was his deal?

The group or guards from before had dispersed, it was deserted, only one man strode past Zoro on the steps outside, the red hair catching Zoro's eye. He made his way swiftly down the stairs, jacket slung over one shoulder despite the crisp night air. It took Zoro a moment to realize why the man looked weird – his sleeve was pinned up where the stump of his arm ended.

"Must have been some accident..." Zoro thought – then freezing in shock. Didn't... Hawk-Eyes's friend... His arm and his face! No. No it couldn't be. It just – it couldn't. But how many people were there in the city like that!? No he was just thinking too much into it – he didn't even know if Hawk-Eyes or his friend still lived in the city, they could have moved.

Besides it didn't add up did it? Hawk-Eyes had been in the fencing club, and it had only started a few years ago, right? This guy didn't look old but surely he was too old for it to make sense?

Zoro realized he had spaced out in the middle of the steps. Dammit, this was driving him crazy! He gro aned aloud in his frustration.

Meanwhile in the studio downstairs Mihawk picked up a small device from the floor. The lad must have dropped his phone, he thought, looking at it curiously. Roronoa Zoro, what a strange young man. He reminded him of the youths of his own days, when the city was restless and plagued with gang wars. There was a fighter's spark inside him.

Perhaps that was part of the reason Roronoa attracted him. He chuckled – what a dirty old man he was... chatting with students all night long and luring them into deserted underground spaces. He took Roronoa's phone and the camera's memory card with him and retired to his office. He'd drop the phone at the info desk when he left, surely it would find it's way back to his owner from there, at least by the time Roronoa begun his first shift.

He set the phone beside his laptop and grabbed a bottle of stale mineral water that had been sitting on his desk for days. He couldn't bring himself to care about the taste, now that his interesting meeting was over he was again consumed by his conflicted feelings about his chat partner... It should have been easy to just quit the whole thing but while reading their messages, for the first time after Shanks had prevailed on his quest for friendship it felt like someone cared and was interested.

It gnawed him that almost his entire social life was dependant on Shanks and Benn. Sometimes it felt like they pitied him. Now he had this strange connection that was entirely his. He leaned into his hand and sighed. There was just the little problem that it happened to be with an unknown person on the internet who could be just fooling around, but something inside him hoped dearly it wasn't so.

He smiled bittersweetly as he read the messages that had come after his meltdown.

'You've been quiet, I hope everything's ok. It's not like you need to but... If you want to you can talk to me. If there's something going on.'

Mihawk took a deep breath... and begun typing. He couldn't let this go after all... not just yet.

'I am well, thank you. I apologize for not responding, I seem to have forgotten to log out. I didn't mean to worry you.'

A chime alerted him when the phone next to him lit up. What a careless youth, not even having his phone locked... He froze as he saw the notification on the screen

'A new message from Hawk-Eyes'


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes (Sorry! ´A`; Just skip if these bother you I have nothing smart to say anyway!) :
> 
> Ah, I finally got over that huge writer's block I got stuck with after the last chapter. I really had some issues trying to figure out how to continue and I was lost because my original plan wasn't gonna work anymore. I humbly thank everyone who has left reviews and ideas and speculations! *bows* Going through them and getting them really helped me to get excited about this story again. I'd like to give special thanks to HikaruWinter and zombie cookie hunter for fuelling me with suggestions, and I just really want to thank everyone but it's impossible to list all :'D GROUP HUG!
> 
> I have free time on my hand now and I feel really pumped up about One Piece (I just caught up with both anime and manga the other day omg Pica was so funny and Zoro holy shit I can't get over that he became even hotter than before dat black suit) and I wanna start some new fics so I can switch between them if I get writer's block again.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the new chapter! I added some world-building stuff oops I hope it's not boring. Also still no beta so there might be stupid mistakes sorryyyy ;_; Oh and I made a cover image for the story too on FF.net!
> 
> \- hansu

Shanks peeked into Mihawks office lair, almost thinking it was empty before noticing a suspicious shape on the floor. He cautiously advances towards his friend's form laying on his stomach.

"Hawk-Eyes?"

The raven-haired man emitted an unintelligible strained noise and resumed what seemed like a passive-aggressive attempt to merge with the flooring. Shanks stared at him for a moment and then lowered himself beside him on the floor.

"...Mihawk?"

"What even is anything?"

"Ok." Shanks said calmly.

"I don't know what the shit is going on anymore."

"Ok."

Mihawk breathed a deep sigh. The two laid spread out on the floor for a moment, listening to the faint echoes from the building and eachother's breathing.

"Want some coffee?" Shanks asked softly. "I can grab something from downstairs."

"Yeah, ok."

"Emergency brew?"

"Yeah."

"...Spiked?"

"Yeah."

Consoling wasn't always lengthy verbal outpourings of emotion. Sometimes it was coffee and sitting on the floor with your best friend. Mihawk remembered the first time they had been in a similar position. Two boys slumped on the wet ground of the docks in the dark of the night, bleeding – mostly from wounds they had given each other –, hearts pounding over the sounds of the ocean and their pursuers. They had stayed there for a while, just staring at each other, away from the world. The heir and the raggedy street urchin. It was unnatural that they should have ended up meeting in the the first place, let alone for them to eventually become friends. But like many others they were both caught up in a desperate fight.

Times were different then. A war was raging all over the world – the war to end all wars. In the city gangsters and corrupted businessmen and officials were pulling the strings and everything was free game for powerful enough opportunist. The kids playing merrily on the streets today sometimes seemed surreal, twenty or fifteen years ago they would have been hiding knives and guns in their pockets and doing odd jobs to help keep bread on the table with dark determined faces. Some joined the gangs that were ruling over the areas of the massive city like kings – some benevolent, and some cruel tyrants.

Finally the war ended. The proud marines returned to the city and did their best to weed out the criminals. It was war all over again. They did manage to take down gangsters but the absolute justice of the marines made no distinction between good and bad intentions. Good people, protectors of the desperate,lost their lives. Men and women like Gol. D. Roger. He had fought against the insanity on the streets and was trying to keep the worst of the gangsters at bay before the marines even returned. When "Pirate King" Roger was publicly executed it was declared that the last of the great gangster threats was gone.

The papers printed out headlines rejoicing this peaceful new era. People could sleep soundly now and children could be children again. But there were still people out there who remembered Roger and the truth, and the truth was the gangsters and the corruption were far from gone. The majority of the people of the city might not know it, or ever find out, but needed the unsung heroes carrying on Roger's legacy. People like Shanks, who were dimwitted enough to not know when to give up.

Mihawk sighed and smirked. No matter how stupid and messy his life had just become almost overnight he could always point and laugh at 'head of security' Shanks, but first he would need to be properly caffeinated. 'Maybe things will turn out fine, somehow...' he mused as he drank the richly flavoured brew and attempted to strike up a conversation with Shanks who beamed, seeing his friend was recovering some energy.

Before they left his office he grabbed Roronoa's phone from his desk so the man could pick it up there. He had laid on the floor the whole night 'in contemplation' – he refused to call it panicking – and had come up with this brilliant plan. He couldn't come face to face with him now. He had accidentally started a correspondence with a random stranger online – actually Shanks had started it – and he had almost ran away from it because he was freaking out about developing attraction to words on the screen. And now it turned out that the person he had chatted with till wee hours of the morning lived in the same city, that he knew him, and had just employed him. He was still having trouble comprehending the mind boggling coincidence, and wanted to run away even more than before.

Shanks now knew for sure that whatever was bothering Hawk-Eyes wasn't just getting overwhelmed with work or regular brooding about things of the past. He wanted nothing more than to grab the man and shake it out of him but he had already learned the hard way that it wouldn't work. He had once long ago tried to pressure him to talk about his family but only managed to distance him. Over the years Shanks had learned to become remarkably patient and later Mihawk had opened up on his own accord bit by bit. He wasn't expecting the dark man to talk about what was going on anytime soon, but when he was ready he'd be there for him.

"Some crazy shit going on if it has the great swordsman lying on the floor. Just don't turn into a carpet ok?" the red-head joked as he was getting ready to leave. Mihawk seated himself on the sofa and made a face, sighing.

"It's just... there's this guy. The business is giving me some headache but I'll sort it out." he waved his hand dismissively, vaguely passing the whole ordeal off as work-related.

"'K, whatever. Catch ya later, toodles!" Shanks piped cheerily before waving and disappearing through the door. It took him a few steps to go over what his friend had just said and proceeded fabricate his own uniquely Shanksesque conclusions from it.

"There's... a guy...?" He started dashing through the halls and corridors like a maniac.

Benn was just about ready to begin explaining their newest addition the basic routine of his new position as a security guard when Shanks finally located him and barged into the room like a violent gust of wind, starling the two men. Ben recovered rather quickly thanks to years of experience and watched as he gasped desperately for air like a drowning man and shift to breathlessly gabbling something incomprehensible.

"Calm down, ya monkey. Stop alienating the new recruit."

Zoro stared at the red-head, mouth pressed tightly into a straight line and eyes big as saucers.

"Not everyone is like this – just him. I promise." Benn tried to assure him. " You remember Shanks, from the closet?"

The younger man nodded slowly. There was no way the other man could tell that he wasn't that shocked about being ambushed but rather recognizing the scarred amputee he had seen last night. 'Hawk-Eyes's' words about his closest friend plagued him – half of his face was scarred and he had also lost his arm. Maybe he was thinking too much into this... It was quite distinctive but there had been war decades before, it wasn't that out of place to see older people with extensive injuries. And besides this guy seemed too old to fit the part? At least this somehow didn't match the age group he'd put Hawk-Eyes in in his mind. Not that he had any way of knowing now that he considered it.

He had wondered about it before, but he couldn't really make a proper guess. He didn't seem that old to him – he seemed open to new things and didn't really discriminate anyone and wasn't too hung up on old stereotypes, which were some of the reasons he liked him so much. Apparently Zoro's imagination had also decided that Hawk-Eyes was a 'he'.

Besides it would be just too incredible a coincidence for this Shanks-person to be the man they had been talking about, but still he couldn't ignore his heart beating quicker in his chest. He grimaced as an image of Sanji writhing in a storm of howling laughter gasping "Zoro has an imaginary online boyfriend" flashed through his mind. He was screwed.


	8. Keep Calm and Panic More

Chapter 8 - Keep Calm and Panic More

Benn was flat out ignoring Shanks's babbling and lit a cigarette, going back to telling Zoro what the next hours would entail. They had had a bit of time just talking because Zoro had turned up early looking for his phone which he luckily found at the info desk. He'd be walking him throught things this weekend and the couple of following ones if needed. He'd already gotten him into the smart uniform he'd be wearing.

It wasn't a 100% perfect fit because he'd pulled it out of a locker that was mainly used to store the amazing amount of things Shanks managed to lose that piled up in nooks and crannies. How had he been able to lose even a pair of pants... Oh, no – he remembered that occasion very well actually.

"Benn you're not listening!?"

"Nope."

"Benn there's a guy!"

"Kill him, kill yourself, or get over it. Don't bother decent people with it."

"No, no, no." the redhead threw his hands up. "You don't understand, there's a guy!" Shanks whined. He climbed on Benn to enforce his point, squishing his face with his hands. "There's a guy." he said solemnly, almost reverently.

Benn's eyes widened slightly when he fully understood what the other man meant.

"What a guy, really? Did he say something, did you see something?"

Shanks pulled Benn into the corridor, checking to make sure there wasn't anyone close by, and leaned closer to him secretively.

"He kinda told me."

"Shanks..."

"Just... Look. 'There's a guy' is an exact quote. Those are actual words that came out of his mouth, I'm telling you dammit!"

Benn opened his mouth but failed to find any words. Shanks wasn't a liar, it was just that his versions of things weren't always the most accurate, but there was something else that made him question the information. Hawk-Eyes... A guy... Well he supposed most people would want companionship but their dark and harsh friend... He'd begun to think that maybe he just was aromantic or asexual, or both. He shook his head, disbelieving.

"I'm telling you I went to see him and I think he'd been on the bloody floor trying to quit life to become a fucking carpet since last night I had to go with emergency comfort coffee extravaganza to get him up and running again. Oh holy shit Benn, there's a guy. What happens if there's a guy."

Benn gave him a meaningful look. "You're a big boy Shanks I'm sure you can imagine what happens if there's a guy."

"Oh piss off." Shanks spat.

Then his mind went on to fabricate possible scenarios.

" OH GOD." He paniced. "No way. Nope nopity nope. We need to do something."

"No, we-"

"I never told him about those things! About the birds and the bees and all that."

"I'm pretty sure he knows even if you didn't."

"But-"

"Shanks..." Ben groaned. "What we need to do is to stay out of it." If Hawk-Eyes did have something going on with someone the last thing needed was Shanks scaring off the potential date, if there even was one.

He gave Shanks one pre-emptively admonishing look and re-entered to room where the surprisingly calm Roronoa was waiting. He seemed like he'd fit in perfectly. Mister Hawky had apparently noticed his swordsmanship in a tournament. He liked to keep an eye on things and young talents. Martial arts prodigies had often made prime targets for gang recruiters. So many good kids were turned bad by their shiny honeyed lures. It was good to keep track on potential names out there. Many people thought the gangs were gone but the underworld was not dead as they thought, and they had been getting bolder and more visible for a while now.

The older man nudged his head, prompting Zoro to get up. "Alright then, better get going."

They came out to the lobby and Benn saw Shanks bothering Mihawk by the info desk and suppressed a groan. Surely Shanks would really know he needed to keep his nose out of it, but he had a bad feeling about the sour looks on both of their faces. Mihawk turned to speak with another employee that had just turned up in need of his attention. Shanks noticed Benn and parted from their company until they'd be done.

"Asshat." Shanks whispered sourly, rolling his eyes, nodding towards Mihawk. "Before you ask – No, I did not. This was about the thing I suggested but he's having none of it!" he informed before skulking after Mihawk.

Zoro glanced after him and then back to Dracule, outwardly unfazed, although he must have picked up the other man's words. Cold as ice. He looked at Benn with questioning look, he'd noticed the man tensing up when he had saw the two men talking.

"He's not on good terms with the boss right now." Benn offered as an explanation.

"I can't imagine the boss being on good terms with anyone."

"He's not so bad. Just takes work seriously."

He should take his employee's advice into consideration if he did. Especially if that employee was head of security – one would think in that position your opinion would be getting stuck in a closet he must have some qualifications for the position, or Dracule wouldn't have hired him in the first place.

"Don't you think the idea is worth considering?" He asked the taller man.

"Well..." Benn, unlike Zoro, knew that the matter didn't really involve the Museum, but Shanks's plans for his own 'activities'. "I'm not really the expert here but... both of them have good points I suppose. On one hand things have been fine like they have been but on the other the situation might be changing." He shrugged. It was true enough.

"Hard to say." Zoro nodded. "It's hard to determine a course if you don't know what's ahead. It's good to be prepared though."

Benn smiled – the lad had common sense. "Yeah, but the cost could be a problem." That as well was true enough, but the cost might not be money.

Benn and Zoro made good partners. Neither were overly talkative but they chatted a bit casually, and Benn told him about some possible situations he might encounter and how to deal with them. When they were done they sat down in the break room with some coffee. Benn had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"I try not to smoke outside the designated spaces." he smiled wryly. "I even tried to quit once but dammit, I've smoked all my life, I'm too set in my ways. Gotta have them handy to fiddle with, if only to keep my hands busy. Helps with stuff. Stress, thinking."

"Shanks?" Zoro added with a small grin which Benn mirrored.

"Maybe."

"I go out running to deal with stuff. I guess I'm the type who needs to let off steam physically." Zoro was often annoyed but he rarely showed any rage outwardly, instead using it as a fuel while exercising.

"So..." Zoro trailed, "You and Shanks... you're... I got the impression that you two are an item?"

"Yeah. He's a monkey, but he's my monkey." The long-haired man smiled rather tenderly, harsh features softening for a moment. Zoro grinned. Both Benn and Shanks had scars on their faces but in each other they'd found someone who saw beyond that. It was kinda sappy thought, but hell, it was nice to see people who made each other happy. It comforted him.

"Keep your hands off my man." Benn pointed a finger at him, failing completely at trying to look intimidating because of the wide grin on his face and the mirth in his eyes. Both of them broke into chuckles.

Although Mihawk's mood had been slightly uplifted by Shanks his annoyance had been peaked by the very same man soon after. Sometime ago Shanks had come to him with an idea. It turned out they could not see eye to eye on the matter. Over their friendship he'd never tried to tell Shanks how to run his... 'business', but he had now taken the liberty of informing him that he was a complete idiot and he would not assist him.

Shanks was well aware that he didn't like his idea at all. Why he had brought it up again and after the miserable morning he had witnessed was beyond Mihawk's comprehension. It took all his energy not to snap at Shanks at the info desk and when Shanks was briefly distracted by Benn, when Mihawk was done talking to Miss Tashigi about her project, the dark man had thought he'd have a chance to slip away, but when he sneaked a look at them he noticed Roronoa. He froze for a chilling fraction of a second and fled behind a corner.

Benn had clearly gotten his 'intern' into the proper uniform. It fit rather well but then again anything would look becoming on Roronoa's toned frame. He closed his eyes and let out a groan of frustration. This was just what he needed on top of everything!

"Oh no – he's hot!" he despaired in a hoarse whisper, audible enough for only his ears... and Shanks's.

The redhead stood there wide-eyed for a moment before quickly scanning the lobby and the people with his eyes. Could it be...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNN
> 
> I'm not that happy with this chapter, it was supposed to be way different but here it is. Sorry for bad spelling and grammar and so forth, no brains and no beta.  
> What do you think, has Shanks figured it out? Or will he get it completely wrong? xD Who is the mysterious guy? Will there be matchmaking? Will anyone ever listen to Benn Beckmann?
> 
> Mihawk has found out Zoro's identity, but when will Zoro find out Mihawk's? x_x


	9. You're still panicking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been such a long time! I return with a slightly longer than normal chapter! I hope you like it! Please tell me what you think! Oh, and come talk to me on tumblr! I draw stuff sometimes. my tumblr url is nucleartuna.

Chapter 9

Another Friday evening, and possibly the coming night, spent at the office. Mihawk briefly wondered if he should feel pathetic. He had always passed it off as being practical but he had to admit that mostly he was just trying to shield himself from the fact that he had very little to go home to, and the stark contrast between the stale stillness of his nearly pristine apartment and the cacophony of life carrying over from Benn and Shanks' soured things more. Had it always bothered him? He wasn't sure, but he sure as hell was thinking about it more these days if he allowed his mind to think about his heart.

He was such a mess right now. He had always been so careful , so private. He'd taken care that his reputation was as untainted as it could be both concerning his person and business. When it came to his personal life... perhaps part of it was him being... afraid. It was not easy, admitting your own cowardice. He found it bitter and hard to swallow. But a coward he was. Finding the smallest excuses for himself to halt attraction, strong attachments. Looking for faults or bad intentions even when there were none. Never calling back. Always busy.

And now he had landed into this predicament. What the hell had he been thinking when he started chatting with a stranger? He glared at the program's icon on his laptop screen and took a sip from his tea – great, it had gone cold. He sighed as he set the cup down and pushed it aside and rested his head against his arms.

He was lonely. Also vexing to admit.

It had been easy to talk to that faceless nickname. It had been something that was his. Somehow he had felt protected by the thought that they would never know him, could never make him look stupid in the real world. To his surprise he found himself caring about the other person , but there was a wall between them. A safe distance. And then he and Roronoa Zoro stumbled into the same reality and the wall was broken down. Now he felt surreal, almost as if he was looking through a two-way mirror. He didn't know what to do.

He didn't want to give up having someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't judge him. Who he could show that sometimes he didn't have a plan and didn't know what he was doing. He would have to decide what to do with this situation soon. He wanted to keep that secret little connection he'd made... but now that he knew... If only Roronoa wasn't... Wasn't what? A real person? He sighed and cursed softly.

'I have to let it go' he thought. 'It would be disturbing to continue chatting with him now that I know who he is... Why can't he just be two different people... I really don't want to end it but I have to, don't I? Give up the only thing akin to friendship I've managed to forge on my own since Shanks.' It's not like he could find a better solution, what could he even do? Walk up to Roronoa and say 'Hello It is I Hawk-Eyes we've been chatting online I'm definitely not creepy or involved in illegal activities and also I do not stab people in my spare time and my best friend is totally not a gang leader'? No, nonono. It would never work, would it? Could it?

'No, you fool. Of course it wouldn't.' He stretched himself off of the table and raked his hand through his messed up hair. 'He's just about to graduate, he's a fine young man he has his whole life ahead of him, he wouldn't want to befriend a cranky old bastard whose hobbies included drinking wine and taking naps in awkward positions that make his neck sore.'

He fiddled with his phone.

'And let's be honest, it would come to this anyway, eventually. He'll get bored and go on with his life. He won't even miss me.' He wondered if Roronoa even thought of him as a person, or just as something to pass time with when he was bored out of his mind. He found himself tapping into their conversation on his phone. He'd noticed the unread messages icon but he had avoided reading them until now.

'You ok?' Zoro wrote. 'Sorry, don't mean to bug you but I haven't heard from you in a while. Wondering if everything is ok.' Mihawk felt a pang of guilt. Dammit. He seemed like he was such a bloody straight forward guy that he felt bad for thinking he might be playing him. ...Playing him? Oh no. No. Did he... When did this become that kind of thing?

'Probably when you saw him in his work clothes, the suit, the body...' A tiny voice inside his head said. “Augh! None of that right now.” he hissed at himself and read on.

'Everything is fine' he answered finally. He grimaced. That was what he always said to Shanks and Benn and over half of the time everything was very much less than fine. Roronoa would be even less interested in his issues than them.

The conversation chimed. 'Calling BS on that. If you wanna talk I'm listening. I'm texting from work but I'm here.' Zoro typed.

'I guess I owe you an explanation'

'You don't owe me anything. Just wanna hear how you're doing.'

'I'm sorry. Things are just, kind of crazy right now.'

'What things'

At this point Zoro excused himself from Benn's company in the break room and found himself staring at his phone in the restrooms. Hawk-Eyes's silence had been making him anxious. He'd been hesitant to ask as not to put him off but it seemed like he – or they, he reminded himself – needed a straight up question to get him talking. He seemed like he really liked to talk but didn't really talk about himself, he hoped he could make at least a small break-through here. He didn't know when Hawk-Eyes had become so important. But they had, and it seemed like he needed someone.

'Me. People. Relationships. Sorry, I've just gotten a few unexpected things thrown at me.'

His answer was less thought out than usually, Zoro noted. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign. Maybe it could mean that he was in a state of mind where he didn't filter himself so much anymore. He decided to try his luck.

'You don't have to talk but might help if you did.'

He watched anxiously as the little icon on the screen blinked while the other was typing. It felt like forever. Dammit he'd have to get back to Benn soon. At the other end Mihawk was struggling for words.

'Well, there's that friend of mine, the infuriating one. Being a persistent little fuck. He's been pressing me about this plan of his for a while and I don't really know if I want anything to do with it. It's not an easy matter. And I guess there's a new person in my life. In a way. And I don't know how to deal with people. So there I am, stressed out and fucking Shanks comes and starts going on about the thing again even though he knows something is wrong and...'

Shanks! Zoro gaped at his phone. 

“Holy shit!” 

Shanks! It was Shanks! He couldn't believe it. The thought had crossed his mind sure enough, and he still found it difficult to be convinced but... the facts spoke for themselves. Scars could be a coincidence, but those and the same name? It had to be the same person.

'I don't even know.' Mihawk hadn't realized before just how upset he was with Shanks. He read the message he had just sent and was slightly taken aback by how harsh it was. He was often sharp with his words but veiled his remarks with flowery terms.

'Like I said – I'm not good with people.' he continued 'And this new situation has thrown me off, so... I'm vulnerable, I suppose. And I'm angry at my friend for not knowing it and minding it but at the same time I don't want him to ever find out. I'd be mortified.'

'if your best friend saw you vulnerable?'

'I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be telling you this. I can't really talk to anyone else.'

'But you're ok letting yourself be vulnerable with me?' Zoro couldn't help himself asking.

He looked at the time and winced. He hoped Benn wouldn't mind him taking so long. He mentioned something about going for a smoke anyway so it was probably alright but it was best to get moving. He kept looking at his phone nervously while walking in the corridors. Shit. He hoped he hadn't made Hawk-Eyes feel too weird with that question. Shouldn't the break room be here? Fuck it, all of these corridors looked the same to him!

Mihawk didn't really know where his feet were taking him. He just needed to walk, do something with himself, anything. Fresh air. Yes, that would be nice. He threw on a coat and left the confines of his sanctuary behind, along with his phone. He needed to clear his head. What was he doing? Didn't he agree with himself that this was something he should not and would not do? Did he not just decide he shouldn't stay in contact with Roronoa Zoro? He took a deep breath and took the turn towards the balcony.

Benn turned his head in the direction of the door when he heard it opening, and saw Mihawk skulk into the dark. His fingers reclaimed a firm hold from the lit cigarette that he shouldn't have. They acknowledged each other with a small nod and Mihawk settled next to him, looking at the horizon dotted with the city's lights. The hum of the wind in the trees and the distant traffic and the crisp air around him was a welcome distracting sensation. The familiar scent of Benn's cigarettes lingering around was somehow reassuring.

He glanced at Benn who had evidently gone for a while without a smoke judging by the blissful air about him.

“You work here or something?” Mihawk gibed.

Benn smiled crookedly taking a pensive breath. “What does this 'working' entail exactly?” He offered his cigarette to Mihawk.

“Do you...” Mihawk took a drag and breathed out a cloud of smoke. “...perform functions in this establishment that are of benefit to me, and do I offer monetary compensation for such services?”

“Well you sure pay me. That other thing... doesn't really sound like something I would do...”

Mihawk mirrored the wily grin. “Oh come now. You know you're the one who keeps me sane here.”

He sighed, stealing one more drag and returning the cigarette to Benn. There was something a little off in the scarfaced man. Or maybe he was just imagining things because he was so off himself. Or not. The other man kept looking at him, like he was trying to find something. Benn had avoided his eyes but seemingly finding some kind of resolve he looked straight to him.

“You ok?” He asked, swiping a long strand of graying hair behind his ear.

“...Fine, considering things?” Mihawk sighed and shrugged. “I'm gonna be honest with you right now – do not expect it to happen again – I've made a huge mess and I'm trying to sort it out.” He frowned “...Are you alright? You seem...”

“Uhh...” Benn groaned and dragged his palm across his face. Mihawk watched alertly as the other man turned and crossed his hands over his chest. For a moment they remained silent.

“Any idea why my boyfriend thinks you have a crush on me...?”

“What!?”

“I... I told him it was crazy...”

“Fucking Shanks!” Mihawk despaired.

“You don't, right?” Benn relaxed visibly.

“No! What the hell is he thinking? Why?”

“Ok, so, apparently--” Benn paused for a calming drag “--he overheard you say something. And you 'said something about a guy' “ he emphasised by making air quotes with his free hand “ earlier when you two were talking.”

“He's been driving me up the wall about the recruiting thing and now this...” he paused to collect himself. “Can you do me a favour and try to keep him on a short leash? I'm deadly serious when I say this; I can't deal with him right now.” he was offered the cigarette again and snagged it gladly.

“I can try. Sorry, I should have seen this coming. I guess he's taken your participation for granted, the way he's been talking.” Benn sighed.

He'd always have Shanks's back, he was his right-hand man in the gang after all but he needed to see Hawky wasn't in. There was a storm rising and Shanks thought the best way to help the young people was to take them in before anyone else could and teach them to defend themselves. Hawk-Eyes wouldn't support the idea as long as there was a reasonable chance of maintaining a peaceful situation.

“I'll talk to him about it.”

“Thank you.”

Mihawk stepped back inside and started making his way back. He still hadn't sorted out all his thoughts but he felt much relieved after letting out his frustration regarding Shanks. Maybe Benn could hammer some sense into his head. He came into a lobby and ascended the staircase, but stopped when he noticed movement. Roronoa? He watched curiously as the man looked around frantically and dashed into a corridor, only to come back in from the other way. A conversation from before flashed back to him.

'Oh and the place I'll be working, it's pretty big. And I'm bad at directions. I mean really bad I get lost all the time. So yeah. A bit worried about that.'

Zoro cursed and and looked back and forth between the corridors and doors. He didn't think Benn would mind too much but it would be embarrassing if he had to come and find him. Really Zoro, getting lost on the way back from the restrooms?

“Which fucking way is it?” He groaned

“How about 'that fucking way'?” Zoro barely managed to preserve some dignity and not jump when he heard the deep voice. He looked upwards and saw Dracule Mihawk leaning against the railing, as unreadable as ever. “The way the 'Break Room' sign is pointing at? I'm assuming that's where you're headed, seeing how unproductive you look.”

Zoro stared at him with a deadpan expression.

Smug bastard.

“First of all...” Zoro begun “Fuck you.” Dracule didn't even blink at that, which both annoyed and unnerved him. “Secondly... Yeah, ok, I was going there, thanks? Um... Thirdly... Benn's probably waiting for me so I'm in a hurry ok so bye.” And with that he dashed into the right direction, this time minding the signs on the walls.

Mihawk barely managed to suppress his amusement, even with all the time he had spent mastering his poker face. But when Zoro had sprinted off he kept chuckling and smiling for a good while. He returned to his private rooms and grabbed his phone.

Zoro had been lucky, it seemed like Benn had taken his bloody time having a cig, or a whole pack, and had just come back himself. The younger man huffed. Those were one of the most stressful moments of his life. He couldn't help the urge to vent out to Hawk-Eyes how he'd just cussed at his boss who had found him lost in the hallways. Something about that man just got to him. He'd just stood there watching him and he hadn't even noticed. He didn't like that feeling of danger.

But Hawk-Eyes hadn't responded after his last message. He wasn't sure if he should say anything right now. He jerked a bit when he felt vibrations from his pocket and snuck a look at his phone.

'I would if I could.'

Zoro frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will Zoro do now? Will Shanks stop meddling? Will he come up with another theory now that this one was busted? (Poor Shanks he probably made plans for a threesome already....) Will Benn ever be rewarded for his patience and loyalty in this fresh hell?


	10. Frog in the well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly quick update! ^A^

Shanks snuck into the break room. Quiet. Good. Judging by the looks good old Beckman wasn't in a good mood. Shanks didn't like it when he wasn't in good that happened rarely thanks to the older man's patience. Benn was probably busy with that intern of his...

'Should I be jealous?' he mused in good humor and grinned, while maneuvering himself a cup of coffee with his single hand.

"Told you that couldn't be it." The deep voice strained with annoyance startled the redhead, who spun around, spilling coffee on himself.

"Aw, shit." he cursed, then lifted his eyes nervously to meet Benn's. "Uh... Hello luv... didn't see you there. Um... shouldn't you be with your-" Benn's dark look stopped the words in his throat.

"We need to talk."

"...About what?"

Benn began fiddling with his cigarettes.

"Went out for a smoke with Hawky."

"No." Shanks gasped , eyes wide, every fiber of his being perking up in excitement. "And..!?" he prompted irritably when Benn wasn't continuing. "Come on Becky! What happened!? Was... was it bad?" This was beginning to seem worrying. After a moment of hard staring Benn sighed.

"You were way off, mate. Told you." Benn threw a discarded sugarcube at the redhead groaning in disbelief or displeasure – he couldn't tell. Not as much relief there as he would have liked. "Fucking told you." He muttered. Recalling that awkward part of the conversation on the balcony made him cringe.

"How do you know? Look man, if you hadn't noticed anything before maybe you can't see it now either-"

"I asked him."

"What!? You can't just go ask people if they like you what the hell?"

"Well I can and I did and it's not me"

"Of course he wouldn't tell you the truth-"

"Shanks, seriously. Trust me. 'Snot me." he attempted to assure his boyfriend. "Why are you so fixated with this anyway?"

"Fine! Fine." Shanks lifted his hand up in defeat and took a bitter swig of his coffee. Benn stood up after a sour silence and left the room without another word or look. Shanks glowered at his coffee. What was going on with Benn? His thoughts turned towards what Benn had said about Mihawk... Well... if it wasn't Benn, then who? He tried to go back in his memories and remember who else had been there.

Zoro had decided to walk home despite the distance. Exercise helped to take his mind off things but he found it could also help him to focus on them. He strode in a brisk pace through the chilly damp mist of the night that clung onto the city. The weather fit his mood. Things were unclear. Or were they, really? The facts remained; He needed to graduate, and needed to get shit done. He was having a weird online... companionship. Sounded easy enough when put bluntly like that but he kept getting his threads tangled.

He wanted nothing more than to take a warm shower after his walk back home but he knew he'd get hell if he woke Sanji up. Instead he made himself a cup of tea and curled up in his blanket on his bed to drink it before going to sleep.

As he lay on his bed he thought about how everything got so weird. He had had enough problems trying to graduate, and now he found that seemingly harmless chatting had planted Hawk-Eyes firmly into his thoughts. Hawk-Eyes was a mystery that called to him and came to haunt him at the most inopportune moments. Now with the appearance of Shanks, a solid link to Hawk-Eyes, it burned in the back of his mind, growing more and more intense. He wondered if he should do something about it. But what could he do? After all, what guarantee did he have that Hawk-Eyes was someone that he would like to know in real life? Yes, they seemed great in their conversation but... and what if that person wouldn't want anything to do with him?

He slept restlessly. Grumpy Zoro wasn't anything unusual but Sanji either sensed there was something extra in the mix this day, or was too preoccupied to notice. Zoro glared at him suspiciously behind his coffee mug. He couldn't really say for sure. Maybe the stupid wannabe cook was busy with planning the evening and didn't have to time to bother him. Damn, shame about the get-together... he could have used the drinks. And the food. Maybe he shouldn't have taken the job now he had one more thing to worry about.

He took his coffee and curled up on their sofa, mindlessly browsing stuff on his phone. Procrastinating. He knew that he should be working on that stupid essay. It wasn't that long (well that's what people kept saying), but it seemed like an impossible task to him. He just needed to do it. But he didn't even know where to start.

He almost smacked himself when he noticed he had procrastinated himself into his and Hawk-eye's conversation, reading through the messages from last night.

'i just said fuck you to my boss' he had written yesterday in panic.

'Well, now.'

'there's nothing well about this screw you'

'What happened, exactly, if I may ask?'

'my boss was there, and I did a bad'

'I think we established that, dear. You have to be more specific. Did he say anything about it?'

'uh, not yet. I guess he might tonight. Shit. Idk what I was thinking I got lost and I thought I was gonna be late to see Benn. I should probably apologise. If he hasn't fired me before I can do it.'

'Perhaps. You really should be more mindful at work.'

'I know. Going to bed, ttyl. Go to bed why are you awake.'

'I will, soon. Good night.'

A new message came in from Hawk-eyes while he was scrolling through. He smiled at the distinctive slightly too formal style for chat typing.

'Good morning. How are you?' Hawk-Eyes inquired.

'Yo. I'm good. Chillin with my coffee. You?'

'Sorry for pressing, but are you sure? You've seemed... stressed?'

'Yeah welp'

'What about?'

'Just stuff.'

Zoro scratched his head groggily. He wanted to ask Hawk-Eyes so badly about himself, to dig up more clues, anything. He basically wanted to stalk him? Or her? How weird could this get? Maybe he could get just one tiny thing straightened out...

'btw I think I said i'm a guy but did you ever mention your gender? Sorry I don't want you to think that I wasn't paying attention or anything it just came to my mind'

'We will address this matter later. Don't try to change the subject.'

Mihawk frowned. He suspected Roronoa was having slight difficulty settling in. When they chatted he often tried to steer the conversation away from his own problems, saying he was fine, that it only bothered him a little bit and that he would manage. He grudgingly admitted to himself that perhaps he had noted this because it sounded like himself.

Was it the job? Maybe it was too much to work the guard job and study. This must have been a busy time for Zoro. What was the student allowance like these days was he forced to neglect his studies because of money? He tried to search it online but it was mostly annoying to look at the sites and their stock photos of 'students' laughing on grass in multicultural groups while funds were being cut from education. Or maybe that's how kids were these days, heck if he knew. He allowed himself a few seconds to feel old and sorry for himself. Then he imagined Roronoa in preppy clothes laughing on the grass with salad and his textbooks like the students in those promotional pictures and nearly burst out in giggles.

Meanwhile Zoro struggled with his answer. Hawk-eyes seemed so clever and smart. He didn't want to look like an idiot in front of them by saying he was having trouble with something that probably was a piece of cake for them. This was also the reason why he hadn't asked Robin for help either, even after Sanji's encouragement from earlier.

'It's just that essay thing. Don't worry about it.' Honestly why did Hawk-eyes even bother to worry about him anyway? It had been the same with sensei... why had he bothered?

'I'm actually gonna go work on it now before our friends come over'

What he actually ended up doing was falling asleep. He woke up when he felt something touch him and received a kick in retaliation when he tried to twist the arm that had shaken him.

"For fuck's sake moss brain!" Sanji glared at him "At least you're awake now..."

"Sorry..." Zoro mumbled, his brain was still trying to figure out what was going on after being woken up so rudely.

"What time is it?" he looked at the time and cursed "How did I sleep so long?"

"You sure you're ok with the night shift?" Sanji asked. Zoro mumbled something incomprehensible and headed for the shower.

He ate well when the others came, even had a beer, laughed a little. But he wasn't able to fully relax and he thought it must have showed at least a little bit. He wanted to go running or training to let out some of his frustration so bad. He actually left for work a bit early, making some half-assed excuse about an orientation.

He spotted Benn outside lighting a cigarette and went to greet him. He declined the cigarette that was offered to him.

"You sure?" Ben grinned "Boss wanted to see you."

"Better get this over with then..." Zoro grumbled, the sense of impending doom taking over him.

The corridor leading towards Dracule's lair felt ominous. This whole part of the complex felt deserted and lifeless. He almost wished he'd accepted Benn's offer to take him instead of saying he'd find it on his own (despite a few wrong turns).

"Roronoa."

Zoro's body jolted involuntarily at the unexpected noise.

"Fuck!" he couldn't stop the word bursting out.

He glared warily at Dracule who just stood there, stern and collected as usual in his dark ensemble. Who the hell was this guy? Normally he'd know right away if anyone was trying to sneak up on him but Dracule... he hadn't had a clue he was there! Every time Zoro came face to face with Dracule it felt like he was being sized up and studied. He hated it. He'd already decided he didn't like the man much. He couldn't figure out why he found Dracule so unnerving, he wasn't the type to feel overpowered by anyone in person or in a match. If he had to describe it... perhaps he felt out of his depth. And it wasn't like he had a pleasant personality...

He followed Dracule into his office and was gestured to be seated. Zoro noted that the space looked more like a loft apartment, but was too busy eyeing Dracule suspiciously to focus on his surroundings. Dracule seated himself on a sofa and Zoro placed himself opposite of him, as if the table between them could somehow protect him. As much as the man annoyed him, he owed Dracule an apology.

"Last night... That wasn't appropriate. Sorry about that." He wondered if he should have said something more but he didn't want to give Dracule the satisfaction of seeing him babble excuses.

Mihawk looked at the intern with scrutinising eye, holding up his calm facade. He hadn't expected to find Zoro already behind his door. He desperately hoped that Zoro wouldn't observe his surroundings too keenly. He was suddenly painfully aware of the intimate state he had left his private space in, all the little things scattered across, books in strange nooks and crannies instead of neatly in the bookshelves , and – oh god there were at least three different mugs on his desk and a shirt thrown over a chair. He watched the younger man's face, what was that look? Was he judging? The younger man seemed tense...

"Then let us not dwell on it. Please do mind your tongue in the future." he of course had known Zoro had been sorry about it. He had no intention of roasting him and adding to his misery with his worry over his well-being ghosting in his mind.

"Coffee?" It was more of a statement than a question. He was already up when Roronoa tried to stammer something about Benn waiting.

"Anyway, don't bother i'll have coffee in the break room."

Mihawk didn't stop, the corner of his mouth curling ever so slightly upwards.

"Considering the time, it is very likely that what you'll find there is some sort of tar-like new nanomaterial brewed by Shanks. Suit yourself, but answer this question first; Would it be safe to ingest anything made by that man?"

"If he's such a health and safety hazard why is he still working for you?"

Dracule craned his neck and grinned almost leisurely with half-closed eyes, as if amused by some secret joke of his own. He didn't answer, but Zoro was preoccupied anyway. Dracule was shady as fuck. He was also an attractive man – that much was obvious – but smiling like that, the severity of his grim features softened slightly... Zoro couldn't help but stare.

'Shit, what the hell are you thinking...' he mentally kicked himself.

"How are you adjusting? Are there any problems?"

"No. I'm fine." Zoro straightened himself, meeting Mihawk's narrowed eyes.

"I was writing your outburst off as stress-related. I understand this is a busy time for a student, if your work schedule is causing you problems-"

"It's not. I'm fine." Zoro cut him off stubbornly, but wavered in the end. "...It's not the work."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Uh... An essay... my graduation kinda hinges on it..." Zoro wasn't sure why he was blurting this out. Perhaps it was Dracule's no-nonsense aura and eerie eyes demanding answers that drew his words out of him.

"And you don't have time to write it?"

Zoro seethed. The other man was baiting him, surely.

"I told you, it's fine. Time is not a problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Mihawk took note of the tension spreading through Zoro's body. He wondered how far he could go without this blowing up in his face. Something was up and he wanted to find out what it was. He wanted to help. If only Zoro would let him. He hadn't told Hawk-eyes anything, could he squeeze it out of him like this?

"It's... I... I don't know how..." Zoro huffed. He wanted to strike his palm through his own face. It felt as if he'd fallen into Dracule's trap and said 'I'm a brainless screw-up'.

"Did you understand the assignment?"

"Yeah I understood it." The hell? He knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he wasn't a complete idiot... This guy! He ended up explaining the assignment to him. "I just... I don't know where to start... I just don't know what to do."

The silence dragged on for what felt like eternity. Then Dracule stood up and walked up to his desk, scribbling something quickly on a piece of paper. Zoro accepted it hesitantly and frowned at the numbers on it.

"Library, little frog in the well. Go and discover how far the world truly extends."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost let Zoro find out in this chapter but decided against it. I feel like it's better to let him suffer a bit more, and perhaps have a little conflict. Let me know what you think! I'm posting all the current chapters in one bulk on tumblr since that's where everyone seems to be active (my url is nucleartuna) I'd appreciate it if you could give it a reblog! ^u^


	11. Flashbang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write two grown ass men bitching about period dramas indulge me ok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review! This is an old fic so I have no idea how many people are actually still interested. Reviews + telling me what you think = less time taken to work out a new chapter = faster updates. I have no plan I'm just making this up as I go.

“Wado Ichimonji...” Mihawk murmured, browsing through the photographs he had taken for documentation. It had been a long standing project of his to catalogue masterfully crafted swords of the world. He now had a more than eager assistant for this project in Miss Tashigi whose passion went even further. While he was contented with knowledge her desire was to 'save' the treasures that had fallen into undeserving hands. Crooks and croocked officials alike had felt the extent of her ardour. He couldn't say he wasn't pleased with the results of Tashigi's liberation efforts since it mostly benefited him and the museum but he had a suspicion that her eagerness might lead her to trouble one day. 

Wado Ichimonji was one of the most beautiful blades he'd had the privilege to handle. He could not help but wonder how had it come to Roronoa - it didn't seem like a family heirloom, considering what little he knew about Zoro's background. He would have to handle 'collecting the data' about the years the sword had been lost to the world himself - Tashigi often got little carried away when she was suspicious of something. 

And he would get a chance to talk to Roronoa about something else than work... 

Although what good would it do? What could possibly come out of it?

It wasn't as if they'd ever be friends. Sure there was some sort of strange mutual interest, a pull if you will - but it would be impossible. What would Roronoa think if he'd find out that Mihawk was Hawk-Eyes, and knew his identity. That would look really bad...

"Hm?" He perked up in surprise as his phone vibrated. 

"Benn?" he frowned as he read the text. Not that it was that rare but considering what had happened...

'Drinks tonight?' 

-

Zoro yawned as he jogged the last few steps to his and Sanji's apartment complex. He was in a good mood, pumped up from running. It had been roughly a week since Zoro had been instructed to go to the library by Dracule. Apparently he must have told him what the essay was about or had mentioned the course before since Dracule's recommendations had been spot on and those shelf numbers had everything he needed. He didn't remember doing that though... but then again he'd been all over the place that day. 

He'd sent his work to Robin for proof-reading. She'd also helped him with citing the sources. He wasn't keen on being assisted like this, with something so out of his comfort zone but seeing Sanji seethe while Robin's attention was focused on mentoring Zoro made it all worth it. And if everything went well he'd have the stupid assignment dealt with sooner rather than later.

Hawk-eyes had been helpful too. Sending him an useful link or two on writing and even a meme. Zoro grinned as he thought about his chat partner. He had talked about the essay with him and shared ideas when he saw that it wasn't bothering his friend. He also found Zoro's subject interesting. It was swords, of course, (although selected based on Dracule's shelf number notes...).

Dracule... Where to even start on sorting out his thoughts about the man. There was something predatory about him, the way he moved, the way he watched his surroundings... like he was constantly assessing a battlefield. In Zoro's experience humans were all just animals, every single one was capable of becoming a predator. Was Dracule one that killed for sport or one just looking out for himself? Perhaps he wasn't quite as shitty as he'd first thought. He seemed to be civil enough with Benn, but for some reason Zoro always got the feeling that he was being watched. It didn't help that he'd become more concious about it since he'd been forced to face the fact that his boss was attractive. The rare cases where Zoro had dealt with this kind of interest before had never had the element of danger like Dracule. 

Zoro fumbled the apartment door open and was about to go grab a fresh towel for showering when he felt rather than saw Sanji glaring daggers at his back.

"What?" he growled, staring at stupid Curly-brow.

"The hell do you think you're doing!?" Sanji hissed at him

"Uh... going to sho--"

"How dare you upset a lady!"

"....Wha--"

"I can only imagine her pain, dealing with a shitty moss head like you! It pisses me off that a delicate flower is suffering because of a dumbass like you!"

"...The hell are you talking about!?"

"Don't play dumb moss-brain! She came asking for you, although I don't understand why she would want to have anything to do with a beast such as this..."

"Who??? What did she look like?"

"Beautiful!"

"...You're going to have to give a bit more than that..."

"A dark-haired cutie with red glasses! So cute! And upset because of you!"

"I don't know anyone like that! I have no idea what's happening!"

"You stood her up you pig didn't you!"

"Piss off! I'm going to shower now!" Zoro yelled and locked himself in. He hoped that Sanji would cool off while he scrubbed himself clean. The cook gave him the stink eye from the living room, but didn't say anything as Zoro skulked into his room for clean clothes. He heard the doorbell and frowned at Sanji's surprised reaction.

"Tashigi-chan! You're back! Please come in can I get you anything, some te--"

"Ah, please there's no need," Zoro heard a womans voice, slightly meek sounding. "I just thought..." Her voice gained some determination, "I thought that perhaps Roronoa would be home now?"

"Well, yes--"

"Then I'll talk to him, sorry for intruding!" Zoro watched, confused, as she pushed past Sanji and caught his stare. Wait a minute... Tashigi sounded familiar now? Tashigi? At the museum?

"Roronoa Zoro I presume?" Tashigi was a young woman, fitting Sanji's description - yes, pretty too. The look on her face told Zoro that she was not pleased about something, but what did that have to do with him!?

"And you are Tashigi, I've heard about your work." He offered. "The swords in the cellar, I guess you have a lot to do with those, pretty impressive."

"Oh!" her expression wavered into a slight blush "Thank you, it's just years of hard wor-- You've been there!? But... no one is allowed without..."

"Yeah I took Wado--"

"Took Wado Ichimonji? So it is true you have it? How?"

"I... Why should I tell you anything!?" Zoro snapped, discussion going into very uncomfortable territory.

"I had reason to suspect the sword wasn't aquired by legal means, now I have my confirmation, please do the responsible thing and relinquish it - unless you can prove yourself innocent. I'm giving you the chance to do the right thing--" She invited herself into Zoro's room, as he wasn't able to do anything about it unless he was going to manhandle her, which he wanted to avoid, since Sanji was watching and everything.

"Look lady, I'm not giving it up--"

"...Wado Ichimonji..." Tashigi stared at the corner where the sword rested. "and... that can only be Shusui! And Sandai Kitetsu!" She spun to give Zoro a severe look. "You really are a sword thief!"

"Enough!" Zoro barked and grabbed the lecturing woman by the shoulders, Sanji raging behind him as he pushed her out of the door and closed it firmly, ignoring her protests.

He muted out Sanji's words too and retreated into his room, but not without getting a beer. He'd just decided that he deserved one. 

He sat down on the floor, leaning against the mattress, and stared at the three swords in the dark corner. He wasn't sure how much time had passed until he snapped out of it and grabbed his phone.

'i was just yelled at for hurting a delicate flower's feelings and got accused of theft. now i'm drinking alone in a dark room. how's your day?' he typed and sent the message to Hawk-Eyes.

'Why are you assaulting plant life?'

'I'm minding my own business and this chick Tashigi came by. I've heard her name but I've never met her before, and she walks in and tells me I'm a thief. Sanji's angry because Sanji is Sanji.'

-

 

Mihawk had accepted the invitation and found Benn at the local 'angst bar' as they'd dubbed it. The actual name of the place had long left his memory. He didn't seem different from usual, Mihawk noted, but Benn wasn't a very expressive guy. They were both reserved him and Benn - perhaps it was why they got along. That and being able to carry on an intellectual debate about things of interest and current events, unlike some people.

"Where's the Red Menace? Hardly like him to miss a chance for a drink. Or two."

"Off to negotiate a deal or something. The usual?" 

"Yes, thank you." Strange. They weren't glued to eachother but it was unusual that Benn would stay behind while Shanks was talking business, Benn being his right-hand man and all. Perhaps it was something unimportant... and he had told Benn to keep Shanks away.

"Well I suppose a little quiet is nice for a change." he smiled wryly. "Is it just me or has he been even more annoying in general lately?" The only answer he got was a sigh and a shrug. Alright, no more talking about Shanks, which was fine by him.

They went on to talk about the news and even some books. 

"There's a new miniseries based on that you know." Benn said "We should watch that sometime."

"Is it one of those 'sexed up' versions?" Mihawk made a face of disgust. "I hate it when they make period dramas where everyone clearly has perfect modern make-up. And they keep fucking up the costumes how hard is it to look up reference?"

"No this didn't seem like that." Benn assured him. "And you got a point, if you want to dress them like runway models then make a movie about that. Get that shit away from my period drama." They clinked their glasses.

Mihawk couldn't quite place it but something was off. Benn talked and acted normally but there was something in the air that told him something was waiting to be lifted on the table. He tried to brush it off as little awkwardness after their talk at the museum.

It was Benn that finally brought the matter up.

"I can feel you studying me and dissecting the situation, you know?" Benn smirked grimly, with a sigh of resignation. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine." 

Mihawk watched as Benn finished his drink and stared at the empty glass in silence.

"Hey... Do you think..." Benn licked his lips, searching for words. "Could I maybe come over for the night?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN


End file.
